Obscene gesture — by the league

Perhaps I’m taking this the wrong way, but when a grown man — check that, the manager with the most wins in league history — decides to go bonkers in the league championship series, he should be disciplined. He shouldn’t be awarded. Yet that appears to be what the Atlantic League wants to do with Somerset Patriots manager Sparky Lyle.
But I guess it’s OK to direct — not one, but — two obscene gestures at the visiting crowd. That’s what Lyle did in Game 3 of the league championship series at Southern Maryland. Handed a 10-game suspension in the postseason. Lyle still had nine games to serve when this season started.
Yet Lyle’s back in the dugout tonight, because the league changed its stance on a 10-game suspension to allow Lyle to serve all the games of his suspension on the road this season. That’s ridiculous. Wonder how the fans in Southern Maryland feel about this? Nobody minds when a manager kicks dirt or argues, but when obscene gestures are added to the mix it becomes an issue — especially for a league that bills itself as family entertainment. Nothing like an interrupted suspension to send a message. All managers are under the law of the league, except ones that want to attend a championship ring ceremony.
UPDATE: Lyle will return to the field Friday after Somerset’s three-game series in York.

About Jim Seip

Jim Seip wore a cookie monster costume to help close out the Spectrum on Oct. 31, 2009.